124 Responses to “Book III of the IBIS TRILOGY”

Dear Amitav Spring 2015 sounds too far… By logic of time it should have been 2014. Sea of Poppies came in spring 2008, River of Smoke in 2011 so by that logic we were expecting it to be in 2014… But i assume you are tieing up all ends are trying to do an almost impossible job of bringing the story to its culmination… So its going to remain only a trilogy and not a quartet, as you had been droping hints in some of the interviews. Anyway looking forward to read …

I love the Ibis trilogy (and GP) – and since reading RoS and SoP have recommended them to many others… Today I decided to do a little bit of hunting for news of the 3rd — You say spring 2015, but hodder and amazon are saying Sept. 11th 2014 – Who is right? Are you saying one thing to them and then managing our expectations here on the blog because you think you might have to put it back again? Please Ghosh this trilogy is more addictive than the strongest opiate and I have a monkey on my back bigger than Ah Fatt’s… Thinking there is less than a year till my next fix, and then realising it could be more like 18 months is hard to take!

Thank you for posting the update. I am anxiously awaiting the third book in your saga. The first two books were fabulous. I’m sure the final one will prove to be well worth waiting for.
Thank you, thank you for sharing your writing and wonderful story telling talents with the world. It is truly a gift.
A very appreciative fan,
Donna

Dear Amitav,
It’s a great news that your third book of the trilogy is coming up. But I was expecting some other title, like the one with alliteration of ‘s’ sound , or some thing related to water. But still, I do believe that a writer like you must be having something more reasonable arguments for a title. Congarts once again ! All the best !!

oh – no – not that long 🙁 Totally addicted to these books. Love your use of language – I am revelling in it… best books I have read for a very long time. Love the humour of each person’s voice … what a fantastic grip of the spoken word – in whatever language you are using. Sublime!

I just found this post of yours and I am thrilled to see that a date for Flood of Fire is set (regardless of the fact that it’s going to be more than a year from now). Great news!

Btw, after reading The Glass Palace and Sea of Poppies, I was so heavily impressed with your work, that I went ahead and ordered from Amazon every single work of yours! Congratulations on motivating me to do that 🙂

Dear Mr Ghosh, I can hardly wait. Sea of Poppies was the best book I had read in 5 years, and it got me hooked (opium tends to do that, right?), so I gobbled up River of Smoke. But then I felt, I was suffering from serious withdrawal symptoms. So, here I am trembling, craving for that third part!!! Thank you for giving me hope.
Regards from Germany
Gwen

Dear Mr.Ghosh,
I am so happy to read that the 3rd book in your trilogy will be available in the Spring of 2015. My husband and throughly enjoyed the first two books and we are eagerly looking forward to the continuation of your marvelous saga. He just finished The Glass Palace and I loved that book so much, that I will be rereading it!
Thank you so much for sharing your gift with us !

Dear Amitav, I find your books narrating history in the most incredible manner. The IBIS Trilogy (currently counting) has given me a deep insight of the Opium War, the formation of Canton, HongKong, Mauritius, Macau and the identured labour trail across rivers and seas. I have felt the same historical motif in all of your other books , especially, ‘In an Antique Land’, ‘ The Glass Palace’ and ‘The Hungry Tide’. Any peek into the next plot you are about to pen, apart from the IBIS Trilogy?

Any chance we might get to hear more about Kabutri…? it’s remarkable how even the minor characters you create tend to live on in readers’ imaginations. I can’t imagine the amount of work that you must put into bringing to us amazing facets of history, slices of humanity, and of course, the characters. I am sure Flood will be worth the wait.

Dear Amitav,
Despite all my self-control to avoid this site and not to to look for the release date of vol-3, I couldn’t keep my monkey mind stable. And I admit, I have been eagerly waiting to hear any news about this 3rd installment ever since I completed the SoP. I took so long to even buy and read RoS just to avoid longing too much for the 3rd phase. But eventually, you won. I am yearning more than I imagined. An year from now seems too long, but I can chew on SoP and RoS again and again make it till the ‘Flood of Fire’. Trust me, I have all other books of yours in my cart but I am not buying any of them until I finish Ibis Trilogy. I don’t wanna mix up flavors. 😉 So please, make me wait no longer that you’ve already promised.

I am halfway through River of Smoke, I have so enjoyed your books and now look forward to part 3. Your books are like a rich meal, I read a couple of chapters, then I have to sit back, replete and just think. Thank you so much for the pleasure you give. Stella xx

Oh that’s a shame. My local book shop eagerly told me this spring! The ships sailing west have significant meaning for my Bengali/Guyanese family. I’m here in the midway point in the UK but my early 20s were spent in WB feeling the soil and water for my self. Thanks for the writing, it takes me there.

Trough reading SOP and ROS and living in the north of Scotland I have taken an intrest in Mr Matheson ( of Jardine & Matheson) and visited his properties he built with his opium fortune ie Lews castle in Stornaway

Hello! Our (mine and my husband Soumya’s) tryst with Amitava Ghosh started way back in 1990 s when we are engineering students. Ever since, we have read almost all your compositons and mesmerized them. Every book is a storehouse of research and fiction blended in an amazing way. My favourite till date has been the Hungry Tide, may be because I am from Bengal, and as I was reading the book I could visualise the story as if I was watching a film…. Glass Palace, Sea of Poppies and River of smoke are like modern Epics, each of them magnum opuses which have kept us enthralled and kept us wanting more!!! Even my mother, who was hardly a reader of English story books, was initiated to contemporary English fiction because of Hungry tides and you. She has read all your works and now reads others as well. All of us (oh I forgot to mention my Chhordi, an English teacher in a Govt School in Kolkata) are eagerly waiting for the Flood of Fire….

Dear Amitav.
I have only recently discovered your writing when I picked up a copy of The Hungry Tide in a charity shop. I live in the UK and haad never heard of you before. I adore your style of writing so I immediately went out and bought Sea of Poppies and River of Smoke, the later of which I am half w55ay through reading. I cannot wait for your next book to come out and as soon as it is published over here I will be buying it!
Thank you so much for bringing so much pleasure to my life.
Yours,
A very disabled wife and mother.
X

Dear Amitav,
I have read the first two books of the Ibis Trilogy, and now find out that the third one is not coming out until spring of 2015. I am 75 years old; can I wait that long? I guess I will read the first two again to bridge the time. Thank you for the pleasure, though.

Getting into this trilogy is dangerous stuff. It takes over your life. Historical fiction is my favourite genre. I’ve read plenty. But the world created here, the people… are so damn alive they just won’t leave my head. Not good at all, I’ve so many necessary things to apply my mind to.

Mr. Gosh
Your style of writing is superb. I am part Indian part Japanese, I’ve lived in India when I was young. I have travelled around India and surrounding countries, overland to Europe in the 70’s and 80’s.The history fascinates me. So rich in culture from the Moghul kings to the British Raj and to the modern India. To me it is a treasure, it is where my roots are. Thank you so much for the books. I shall be waiting to lay my hands on Flood of Fire. Your magic enthralls me.

The trilogy has been brilliant so far. The character of Bahram Modi was really intriguing. Eagerly awaiting the next book. I also admire the depth of research that goes into your writing. Please let us know if there are any scheduled readings in New York City.

SO pleased the final part will be out next year. Like Willa Cather, you somehow order your words to make the colour of the soil, the light in the sky, the characters’ clothing, the taste of food and the scents in the air so real – it’s quite a gift. I enjoy reading about the country and culture of one of my ancestors and will relish re-reading the first two books in preparation for the third. Thank you.

It’s my claim as a reader over the author whose work I admire, and as a researcher who produces papers on it, that gives me the confidence to hope for a couple of things in the last book of the trilogy:
First of all, it ought to rise to the level of its predecessors. Difficult, to achieve, as history has proven it in case of many a series.
Then, it must answer the questions of the fictional universe that exists in the two first books that still remain unanswered.
Finally, it must deal with the issue of death of our beloved characters in a manner that balances its tragic elements and the comic ones.
Hope our patience will bear sweet fruits!

The first two books were awesome and mass read. I am looking ahead for the third one. Meanwhile, I should say, you made me fall in love with sea and sea vessels! The best Indian English writer of all time, t least for me ..
Pen ahead sir, eagerly waiting ……

Waiting breathlessly for Flood of Fire. I have immensely enjoyed the first two books and recommended to many. Look forward to your future projects as well, hoping that it would open an imaginative window to a less understood and forgotten part of history. Would look forward to meeting you should there be any book launch or event you happen to attend in Kolkata or Bangalore.

Am thrilled to know about the third in the series FoF – but the wait is much too long! Nonetheless if the first two and GP are anything to go by! we are cat inlet going to be in for a treat. Amitav, your books are incredible from all angles, history, economics, sociology etc.

Like so many of your readers I have been eagerly awaiting book 3 of the trilogy ever since book 2 was published. I am so pleased to finally get a definative date to be put out of my misery. Please don’t reply to this message, just keep writing.
Pam Mortimer

I am not saying anything which has not been said by others on this post, but eagerly, eagerly waiting for the 3rd installment. Its raining in Mumbai and every year during the rains I read the The Hungry Tide and I am doing that again this week. I will re-read River of Smoke and Sea of Poppies before starting Flood of Fire. Thank you Mr. Ghosh for bringing so much joy in my life with your words. You are truly gifted

I had a dream about reading the sequel to “River of Smoke” the other night and it was a great pleasure. Although my mind seems to be madly excited at the prospect of reading the actual Flood of Fire, I will faithfully wait for the third instalment to be published. Meanwhile I know the book is in good hands 🙂

I am really looking forward to the “Flood of Fire”. I have read several books of yours. Starting with short stories which I read as part of the ISC syllabus at the Bishop Cotton School in Bangalore(in the early 1990s). Shadow Lines, Calcutta Chromosome, Hungry Tide, The Glass Palace and the two books of “The Ibis Triology”. I fell in love with your writing because of the Glass Palace and it is only after that that I read the other books. I have gifted your books to lots of friends and family as I feel that is it definitely the best Indian fiction writing. I am really looking forward to the third book and would love to meet with you somebody. A few of our family friends were contemporaries of yours at St. Stephen’s.

This is just to say that I have absolutely enjoyed all your books so far, particularly The Hungry Tide set in Shundor Ban and of course the first two books of the Ibis trilogy. I am currently working on a PhD on Indian writers and I have referred to your writing on a number of occasions. Unfortunately, the third part will be out a little close to my submission date, so I would not be able to include the ending. That said, I am sure I would enjoy your book all the more for that!

In case you came to Canterbury some time, it would be great if you could talk to us (literature, creative writing, and other students) about your books and writing at the University of Kent?

Living in a backwater as I do, I have just come across and read Sea of Poppies. Imagine my dismay when I reached the end. It was as if saying goodbye to friends. However, I am also horrified to learn the details of the Opium trade – always knew about it but didn’t know the details as you uncovered them. Some nations have a lot to answer for!

As for my (reading) addiction – I have just downloaded River of Smoke from Amazon. Can’t wait to meet with Deeti again.

Mr Ghosh, you are by favourite author as of now. Thanks for the painstaking detail and love you put into your work.

Sri Amitav Ghosh has a dominion over waters. Whenever his stories enter in to watery territories it assumes natural flair. After reading with reverence The Hungry Tide, Sea of Poppies and River of Smoke I am eagerly waiting for Flood of Fire.
I hope the latest will surpass all its predecessors….. If such a thing is possible.
We shall be waiting.

Sir.
Eagerly waiting for the Flood of Fire. In the meantime, am re-reading The Hungry Tide with the rains pattering on my window panes. I wish spring 2015 would be tomorrow morning when I wake up. A time-machine would have been handy. Thank you for bringing such a joyous feeling through your books in an an otherwise mundane life.

Dear Amitav,
Please add me to that list of eager readers impatiently awaiting Flood of Fire. Like a lot of books, I just happened upon Sea of Poppies and loved it, and the follow-up. I was an East Asian Languages and Literature major over 40 years ago (Chinese) and have never lost my love of Asian history. I’ve had the good fortune to visit India four times in addition to several other countries in the Far East and your books are truly wonderful reads. I want you to know that The Glass Palace is by far my favorite, and the ending nearly brought me to tears with such emotion rarely felt from a book. I will be first in line for Flood of fire, when it appears!

I have just finished sea of poppies and have become your No 1 fan. You transported me to a different time and culture and helped me to understand more of the opium war. I need to find a book to read until book II in trilogy arrives but feel so sad that I cannot continue reading about Neel and co., Thank you for your superb writing.

Thrilled to bits….my awakening to your declaration comes rather late, but the funny thing about time is that it reclaims with shocking speed what was slumbering in personal tardiness!! Your works form part of my PhD thesis, and to be able to work on the third one, would be very fulfilling indeed.

I hope you will respond to this one from me – I was terribly disappointed when, after an emotional association with Deeti and the others in Sea of Poppies, I wrote a big comment on your website and did not get any reaction.

I read the preview about Flood of Fire. But there is no mention of Deeti, Kabutri, Halder and their circumstances? I can’t imagine the storyline being complete without a reunion with all the major characters from the first book! They are part of our collective psyche now! I hope you will atleast add an epilogue in your third book to help us get closure!

Have read all your books and treasure them (apart from the thesis 🙂 )… So proud of you. The quality of your work surpass, if not stand abreast with those of the world. Brilliant researcher your are Sir! Please start mentoring writers, in whom you see a shade of yourself. As our appetite for such works will never satiate. he,he,he..anyways, have been persistently pestered by my family since the last 2 years to find out when the 3rd masterpiece will be released, just wanted to thank you for breaking the suspense and finishing the book finally! 😀 ..Cheers!! With lots of love..

Hello Amitav, Can’t wait for Flood of Fire. only a few more months. I miss friends from Sea of Poppies and wonder what’s going to happen. You are a terrific writer I look forward to reading more of your work.
Roey

me too, I join the choir of kudos to your wonderful books and can’t wait to read Flood of Fire.

I believe your trilogy sheds light on the very forces that tear apart our world today, the war on drugs, neocolonialism, west vs east, terrorism and so on. (I apologize if it sound a little far-fetched.)

And I must say that I love above all the interlingual puns and linguistic jokes! Neel rules!

I’m glad to note that there is no slippage in the schedule promised all those months ago. Can’t wait to get my hands on Flood of Fire. Where I live there’s no true spring and spring time in Europe is summer here! But, I’m sure it will be worth the wait.

Your writing and stories are simply amazing….I just get so immersed whenever I read your books (have read the Ice Palace, Sea of Poppies and River of Smoke twice already) that I am so eagerly looking forward to the next fix!!! Thank you so much!!

I am doing a research based on the trilogy and was waiting ardently for the third book- Flood of Fire.The first book which i had read written by you was Shadowlines.I could identify with the character of Thammi because I had one just like her at home.A lady who dreamed of her childhood days spent in Chittagong.Since then my journey continues with all books….that have been written by you.Favourite among them is Antique Land.

I just finished the proof of Flood of fire – I harangued you upthread because I was impatient.. I have enjoyed being back amongst the Ibis this last couple of days.. Some great moments. The dedication and time you have put into this is humbling. It must be a fantastic feeling to look back on all the hard work. Thank you

Thanks very much for this. It’s nice to know that you’re eager to read the next book, ‘Flood of Fire’ (the Italian title is ‘Diluvio di Fuoco’). My Italian translators, Anna Nadotti and Norman Gobetti have been working hard on the translation and are more than halfway through it. As of now the publication date of the Italian translation is Oct 22.

I cannot express how much I enjoyed Sea of Poppies and River of Smoke, the depth of research, depth of characters, the dialogue, the historical content, the imagery. I fell in love with both books and I’m finding other books bland in comparison. Excuse me that I’m not up on the status of your awards, but I do hope that Flood of Fir is a Booker Winner 🙂 Any release date yet?

To say that I enjoyed reading the first two books of this trilogy is an understatement. I couldn’t put the books down once I started. I did a book review of both books at a book club that I am part of (The Poona Club Book Club).
I hope to review your third book as well. Cant wait for it to be released.
Thank you for the joy your writing brings to my life!
Sunita Shetty

I really enjoyed reading your first two books in this trilogy(our whole family reads your books- Hungry Tide is my husband’s fav) and went on to do book readings.We also conjured up a ‘River of Smoke’ menu to compliment the linguistic chutnification in the book.I write a book column for Sunday reading journal Panorama of Navhind Times Goa, I would like to get a copy of your third book about to be released ‘Flame of Fire’- such that I can relish it and then write an overview in time with the market release of the book.Plz let me know
Cheers
Jugneeta Sudan

I just finished Flood of Fire, today. I have now read all the books in IBIS trilogy.

It was brilliant and I can’t get the characters in the book out of my head! It is not clear what happened to Deeti’s daughter Kabutri. Also it is not clear that Paultette and Zachary Reid got back together. I can infer that she got back to Mauritius, as Neel finds all the letters from Robin under the mattress in the second book ‘River of Smoke’. Also it is not clear as to what happened to Neel’s wife (Raju’s mother).

Any way it probably was you intention to leave all this and other unanswered questions up to the reader.

Any plans to script a Bollywood/Hollywood movie? I think it will be great a la Pirates of the Carribian.

I’m very glad that your new book has been translated also in italian, but, so far, just as a paper book. I’looking forward for the Kindle format.
When will be it available?
Thank you and congratulations for your masterpieces.
Francesco